Sports fans in New England will notice a few changes this month on Comcast, as the cable company drops its CN8 channel, expands its programming on Comcast SportsNet and adds the MLB Network to its lineup.

Jon Chesto

New England sports fans will notice a few changes this month as Comcast Corp. drops its CN8 network here, expands its programming on Comcast Sports-Net and adds the MLB Network to its lineup.

The launch on Jan. 1 of the Major League Baseball network returns former New England Sports Network reporter Hazel Mae to the New England cable scene. Mae will report for MLB programs "Hot Stove'' and "MLB Tonight.'' Mae left NESN in the past summer after spending nearly four years there.

Philadelphia-based Comcast plans to stop broadcasting its CN8 network in New England after Jan. 4. The company is cutting about 50 jobs by closing its local CN8 studio in Brookline.

Comcast plans to continue the CN8 station in the Washington and Philadelphia markets under a new name, The Comcast Network. The company expects to increase the local focus of its news and sports programming on the network in those two markets.

Comcast will continue to offer local news in this region through its joint venture with Hearst Corp., Newton-based New England Cable News, although it will no longer field the separate staff that worked at CN8.

Comcast SportsNet spokesman Tim Fitzpatrick said Comcast will shift the New England-oriented sports programming that had been scheduled on CN8 to its Comcast SportsNet New England channel. Fitzpatrick said the former CN8 sports programs will get a wider audience on Comcast SportsNet because they will also be available to rival cable and satellite providers now that they have been taken off CN8.